Netflix Orders Korean Zombie Brains For A KINGDOM

It seems that zombies are ready to take over the world today. But, how about in the past? And in Korea? Of course! Brains have existed for quite some time now and Netflix wants to bring those zombies to life. The streaming network has picked up their second Korean original television series, Kingdom.

Kim Seong-hun will direct the zombie period piece. His film, Tunnel, earned nearly $50 million at the Korean box office last year. Kim Eun-hee (Signal) will write the eight-episode series. Korean production company Astory will produce.

Kingdom will be set in Korea’s medieval Joseon period (1392-1910). The crown prince discovers a brutal truth that threatens the kingdom when sent on a suicide mission, investigating a mysterious outbreak.

Blending the popularity of costume dramas in Korea and the booming zombie genre is almost a guaranteed hit, especially since two of 2016’s highest-grossing films, Train to Busanand The Wailing, featured the undead.

Eun-hee states, “I have been working on Kingdom since 2011. I wanted to write a story that reflects the fears and anxiety of modern times but explored through the lens of a romantic fascination of the historical Joseon period. Working with Netflix helps us to unlock this creative vision for Kingdom and I am excited to further build this unique story with the director for whom I have tremendous respect.”

Erik Barmack, vice president of International Originals at Netflix, shares Eun-hee’s enthusiasm. “Kingdom captured our imaginations from the moment we read the script with its visual feast of historical drama blended with supernatural fantasy. We are incredibly honored by this rare opportunity of pairing two premier creative minds in Korea- film director Kim Seong-hun and television writer Kim Eun-hee.”

This is the second original series from Korea that Netflix has signed on to this year, following the romance Love Alarm.

Kingdom will premiere exclusively on Netflix to its members in 190 countries in 2018.